Operations Research for the management of a transhipment container terminal: The Gioia Tauro case

In this work we describe some decisional problems arising in the management of maritime container ports, together with optimisation models and algorithms suitably designed for their solution. We refer to the Gioia Tauro container terminal which recently has reached a high stage of growth, becoming one of the most important transhipment ports in the Mediterranean Sea. In particular, we focus on quay-side problems (berth allocation and quay crane scheduling), yard-side problems (tactical and operational yard management), vehicle routing problems and human resources management problems. The common final aim, in facing the above problems, is to improve the efficiency, and thus the competitiveness of the container terminal. Maritime Economics & Logistics (2009) 11, 7–35. doi:10.1057/mel.2008.21